Thousands gather at Expo before Rock 'n' Roll

Before the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday, runners gathered at the Raleigh Convention Center for the Health and Fitness Expo.

Posted 9:17 p.m. Apr 11, 2014 — Updated 1:11 p.m. Apr 12, 2014

Caitlin Zanga

RALEIGH, N.C. — A whopping 12,500 runners are registered to participate in the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Half Marathon in downtown Raleigh this Sunday. Before the race, they will gather with friends, family and the community at the Raleigh Convention Center for the Health and Fitness Expo Friday and Saturday.

Your quick guide for the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Half Marathon.

Race participants can pick up their packets and last-minute gear at the expo. Forty-nine states and five foreign countries are represented at Raleigh's inaugural Rock 'n' Roll race, and 40 percent of the runners are coming from outside the Raleigh-Durham area.

The expo is free and open to the public, so everyone is welcome. More than 100 vendors and exhibitors are at the expo with tips, information and education.

Read more Rock 'n' Roll stories, coverage.

Race course, concert locations

The marathon begins and ends in the heart of downtown Raleigh, and runners will wind their way east to Chavis Park, north through the Oakwood neighborhood before making a turn to the west. The course passes William Peace University and Cameron Village. Runners of the half marathon make the turn on the campus of North Carolina State University and head back to the start/finish line. Those who choose to run the full 26.2-mile marathon continue west on Hillsborough Street and past PNC Arena before circling back downtown.

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